A small plane crashes into power lines in Maryland and knocks out power. The pilot and passenger of a small plane that crashed into power lines in Maryland on Sunday (Nov 27) night were saved.
According to the most recent update from Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein, the two had "severe injuries," including hypothermia and "orthopedic and trauma difficulties from the incident." Both have been sent to trauma centers in the neighborhood. Around 5:30 p.m., the accident, a small plane crashes into power lines in Maryland happened close to Montgomery Village, Maryland, which is just a few miles from a small airport and roughly 25 miles from Washington, D.C.
About 120,000 homes and businesses in the area lost power, and many rescue services rushed to the scene.
Photos show the plane dangling off a transmission tower and vertically entangled in the lines. Even though no one knows how bad the crash was, some estimates say that the plane was stuck more than 100 feet above the ground.
The pilot was named Patrick Merkle, 65, and the passenger was recognized as Jan Wiliams, 66, by a representative for Montgomery County's Fire and Rescue Service. In order to stay in contact with rescuers during the night, the pair was instructed to save battery life.
Before attempting any rescue operation, crews had to work to secure the jet and ground the high-voltage power cables, according to Goldstein. Early on Monday morning, a video was shared on social media of rescue workers securing the jet in thick fog after the power lines were grounded.
According to Goldstein, the energy utility company AUI successfully finished the grounding at 11:30 p.m. on Sunday. The aircraft was then successfully secured by crews in 45 minutes, at 12:25 a.m. On Monday (Nov 28), the first of the two passengers was removed from the aircraft and lowered to the ground. By 12:36 a.m., the second victim had fallen to the ground.
According to Goldstein, crews will keep working to remove the plane and reconnect the electrical cables.
The plane, which the Federal Aviation Administration characterized as a single-engine aircraft, was traveling from White Plains, New York, to the local airport on Sunday. Although The Washington Post writes that it was misty and raining nearby when the tragedy happened, it is unknown what triggered it.
Due to the power outages, public schools, offices, and even college campuses were closed on Monday.
A small plane crashes into power lines in Maryland and knocks out power. The two passengers were left hanging for several hours about 100 feet in the air. Thousands of residents in the region were left without power for most of the evening due to the disaster.
Around 5:40 p.m. local time on Sunday, a single-engine Mooney M20J crashed into Pepco tower wires close to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Maryland.